Field of the Disclosure
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a thin film transistor substrate, and a display device including the same.
Discussion of the Related Art
With the advancement of an information-oriented society, various technologies related with a display device for displaying image or picture of visual information have been developed and studied. The display device may include a display panel having a display area provided with pixels for displaying an image, and a non-display area prepared in the periphery of the display area, a gate driver for supplying a gate signal to the pixels, a data driver for supplying a data voltage to the pixels, and a timing controller for supplying signals to control the gate driver and the data driver.
The gate driver may be provided at one side or two sides on the non-display area. In this case, instead of providing the gate driver which is manufactured in an additional integrated circuit type, and connected with the pixels through the use of flexible films, the gate driver together with a TFT (thin film transistor) of the pixel may be directly formed in the non-display area of the display panel, and connected with the pixel, which is referred to as a GIP (Gate In Panel) circuit.
The GIP circuit may be formed of a shift register circuit including a plurality of transistors with a gate pattern, a gate insulator, and a source/drain pattern on a lower substrate. The GIP circuit is connected with a gate line prepared in the display area through a gate connection pattern. The gate connection pattern is formed to have a relatively large area at an end of the gate line being adjacent to the GIP circuit, and is connected with the transistor of the GIP circuit through a bridge pattern. Accordingly, the gate signal generated in the GIP circuit is supplied to the gate line via the bridge pattern and the gate connection pattern. The gate pattern and the gate connection pattern are covered by a gate insulating film.
During manufacturing process of the thin film transistor substrate, a robot arm for loading or unloading a substrate may induce static electricity on the substrate. This static electricity is discharged to the GIP circuit at an end of the gate connection pattern via the gate connection pattern with the relatively large area along the gate line, whereby some of the gate insulating film for covering the gate pattern of the GIP circuit adjacent to the gate connection pattern may be damaged and lost. Through the lost area of the gate insulating film, the gate connection pattern is exposed, and then the exposed portion of the gate connection pattern is electrically connected with the source/drain pattern provided on the gate insulating film, thereby causing a short defect.